The invention pertains to a retrofit audit system for reading information from a target vending machine or operational device. Such a retrofit audit system includes a master module and at least one sub-module for detecting further information.
The current standard for vending machines control boards is to provide complete accountability for all cash and non-cash transactions, products delivered, and any errors or other machine based changes that may have occurred either during a vending cycle or when the machine is serviced by operating personnel. The method for doing this is known, and the means to retrieve the accountability information (hereto referred to as audit data) is governed by defined vending industry standards supported by the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) and the European Vending Association (EVA). A complete specification titled the European Vending Association Data Transfer Standard (EVA-DTS) exists which documents the different protocols used to transfer audit data to collection devices and the precise composition and format of that data.
In contrast to modern machines, early vending machines (those produced approximately from the 1960's to the 1980's) had no means to collect audit data and/or to transmit such data to an MIS system via a defined protocol. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a device to retrofit to the early vending machines so as to offer such features.